Wii U not doing so well in Nintendo's homeland, Japan

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We happen to like the Nintendo Wii U here at Pocket-lint, and are fans of its interesting an unsual take on gaming. However, the public isn't quite so enthusiastic it seems, especially in Nintendo's homeland.

In its first week after its release on 8 December in Japan - almost three weeks after the US and more than one behind the UK - the Wii U didn't do too badly at all, selling 308,570 units. The original Wii sold 371,936 in the same region in its first week back in 2006.

And in the second and third weeks, it even outperformed its predecessor, selling 130,653 and 122,356 units respectively. However, in week four figures fell off a cliff, with only 76,760 Wii Us sold in comparison to 284,648 original Wii consoles in an equivalent period.

By week six, a mere 20,715 Wii Us were sold in Japan - a figure leading some Japanese press and analysts to compare the new console to the Nintendo GameCube rather than the Wii.

Of course, there are at least a couple of factors that must be taken into consideration. First, we are in a global recession, where money is tight for consumers worldwide. And second, everybody expects a new console from Microsoft this year and, more relevant to Japanese gamers, Sony. Some may be holding off until the summer in case of announcements.

It's also important to remember that the Nintendo 3DS was considered a flop when it was first released, with critics saying it would never sell. Over 23 million units sold later, and there are a few hats being nibbled on.